VII. O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell,: VII. O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell,

O SOLITUDE! if I must with thee dwell,
Let it not be among the jumbled heap
Of murky buildings; climb with me the steep,-
Nature�s observatory - whence the dell,
Its flowery slopes, its river�s crystal swell,
May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep
�Mongst boughs pavillion�d, where the deer�s swift leap
Startles the wild bee from the fox-glove bell.
But though I�ll gladly trace these scenes with thee,
Yet the sweet converse of an innocent mind,
Whose words are images of thoughts refin�d,
Is my soul�s pleasure; and it sure must be
Almost the highest bliss of human-kind,
When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee.